| Solea senegalensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Suborder: | Pleuronectoidei |
| Family: | Soleidae |
| Genus: | Solea |
| Species: | S. senegalensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
The Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Senegalese sole is very similar to the common sole and like it, it has a flattened, oval body with the dorsal fin starting on the upper profile of the head to the front of the upper eye. [3] The dorsal fin has 73–86 rays, the anal fin has 61–74 rays, and there is a well-developed pectoral fin on each side of its body which has 7–10 rays. The caudal fin is attached to the last rays of the dorsal and anal fins by a narrow membrane. [2] There are numerous small and hair-like fringes on the blind side of the head, and the distance between the upper eye and the dorsal profile of the head is greater than the diameter of the eye. The anterior nostril on the blind side is surrounded by a small ridge, but is not enlarged. [4] The lateral line is made up of 120–138 pored scales.
The Senegalese sole is greyish brown in colour on the eyed side, marked with numerous blue spots (which tend to disappear in dead specimens); the blind side is whitish. [2] The pectoral fin on the eyed side has a nearly black membrane, which contrasts with the cream-coloured fin rays. This feature also allows one to distinguish between this species and the common sole; the latter has a neat black spot close to the margin of the pectoral fin instead. [4] The Senegalese sole grows to a standard length of 60 cm, but is more commonly about 45 cm. [2]
Over much of its range, the Senegalese sole is sympatric with the common sole, and it has been considered a subspecies by some authors in the past (as Solea vulgaris melanochira). [2] It is, however, more closely related to the east Mediterranean Egyptian sole ( Solea aegyptiaca ) than it is to the common sole, [5] and where these two species' ranges meet there is a hybrid zone, with hybrids being detected from the Gulf of Lions and the coasts of Tunisia. [6]
The Selegalese sole originally occurred only in the eastern Atlantic, from southern Great Britain and Ireland (where it is rare) to Angola, including the Canary Islands. It is thought to have invaded the Mediterranean Sea via Gibraltar in the early 20th century. [7] It expanded quickly in the western basin; [5] and now is now found in places as far east as the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. [8] It is, of course, also found off the southern coast of the Mediterranean, including Tunisia, where it is an important resource.
The Selegalese sole is a demersal flatfish which occurs on sandy or muddy bottoms of varied habitats, from brackish lagoons and shallow waters to coastal regions where the water can be 100 m in depth. The adults feed mainly on small benthic invertebrates like polychaetes and bivalves, as well as small crustaceans. Females attain sexual maturity at around 3 years of age and may reach a total length of 30 cm. Spawning takes place during the summer, peaking in June around the Iberian Peninsula, when the water temperature is between 15 °C and 20 °C. [4]
In Europe, both the common and the Senegalese sole are landed and marketed, and there is little distinction made between them in official statistics. There are, however, geographical preferences: the common sole is preferred in northern Europe, and the Senegalese sole is preferred in more southernly areas. These preferences are reflected in the market price, which is higher for the common sole in northern and Western Europe, and higher for the Senegalese sole in southern Europe. [4] The flesh is sold fresh, normally as fillets; the smaller fillets go to domestic consumers directly, while the larger ones are sold to commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants. [4]
The Senegalese sole is widely produced in aquaculture in Portugal and Spain. [9]
A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around the head during development. Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, and others face either side upward.
The American soles are a family (Achiridae) of flatfish occurring in both freshwater and marine environments of the Americas. The family includes about 35 species in seven genera. These are closely related to the soles (Soleidae), and have been classified as a subfamily of it, but achirids have a number of distinct characteristics.
The true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes. It includes saltwater and brackish water species in the East Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and West and Central Pacific Ocean. Freshwater species are found in Africa, southern Asia, New Guinea, and Australia.
The European plaice, commonly referred to as simply plaice, is a species of marine flatfish in the genus Pleuronectes of the family Pleuronectidae.
Sole is a fish belonging to several families. Generally speaking, they are members of the family Soleidae, but, outside Europe, the name sole is also applied to various other similar flatfish, especially other members of the sole suborder Soleoidei as well as members of the flounder family. In European cookery, there are several species which may be considered true soles, but the common or Dover sole Solea solea, often simply called the sole, is the most esteemed and most widely available.
The common sole, Dover sole, or black sole is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is one of the largest fish in the Solea genus. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the northern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea where it often partially immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). The species is prized as a food fish, being caught mostly by trawling on the seabed.
The witch, known in English by a variety of other common names including the witch flounder, pole flounder, craig fluke, Torbay sole, and grey sole, is a species of flatfish from the family Pleuronectidae. It occurs on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean on muddy sea beds in quite deep water. In northern Europe it has some importance in fisheries as a food fish.
The European flounder is a flatfish of European coastal waters from the White Sea in the north to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in the south. It has been introduced into the United States and Canada accidentally through transport in ballast water. It is caught and used for human consumption.
The solenette or yellow sole, Buglossidium luteum, is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae, and the only member of its genus. It is characterized by its small size, low-slung semi-circular mouth, and regularly placed dark fin rays. A common and widespread species, it is native to sandy bottoms in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is of little commercial value.
The rex sole is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. Locally, it may also be known as a witch or threadfin sole. It is a demersal fish that lives in temperate waters on sand or mud bottoms at depths of up to 900 metres (3,000 ft), though it is most commonly found between 61 and 500 metres. Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, from Baja California in Mexico up the coasts of the United States, British Columbia and Alaska, across the Bering Sea to the coast of Russia and the Sea of Japan. It is slow-growing, reaching up to 60 centimetres (24 in) in length, and it can weigh up to 2.0 kilograms (4.4 lb). Maximum reported lifespan is 24 years.
The Mediterranean scaldfish, also known as the scaldfish, is a species of benthic left eyed flatfish belonging to the family Bothidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic of Europe and Africa as well as the Mediterranean, and is of minor interest to fisheries.
The wedge sole, is a flatfish of the family Soleidae. It is a bottom dwelling predatory fish inhabiting both sandy and muddy soils at depths between 10 and 450 m in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. It achieves a maximum size of 30 cm (12 in).
Solea is a genus of soles from the Indo-Pacific and East Atlantic Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Zebrias is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Soleidae.
The Egyptian sole is a species of flatfish in the true sole family, Soleidae. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the Mediterranean Sea, and is now colonising the Red Sea. It often semi-immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). This fish is used for human consumption and is prized as a food fish. It is caught mostly by trawling on the seabed.
Cynoglossus sinusarabici, the Red Sea tonguesole, is a species of tonguefish which occurs in the Red Sea and is now common in the eastern Mediterranean Sea following its migration through the Suez Canal. It was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel in 1953 and successively observed in Turkey and Egypt. It has an elongated body with a rounded snout which has a rostral hook large, narrowly separated eyes. It has 99–101 dorsal fin rays, 78–79 rays in its anal fin and 8 rays in the caudal fin. The lateral line has 54–60 scales with 11 scales between the lateral line and the base of the dorsal fin. The lateral line is only present on the eyed side. It is uniform brown on the eyed side and whitish on the blind side. It grows to about 15 cm standard length.
The thickback sole, also known as the bastard sole and lucky sole, is a species of flatfish from the family of true soles, the Soleidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, it is a quarry for fisheries in the Mediterranean.
Hemibdella soleae is a marine species of leech in the family Piscicolidae and the type taxon of its genus. Found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, it is a parasite of flatfish such as the common sole.
Dagetichthys lusitanicus, commonly known as the Portuguese sole, is a species of flatfish native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Little is known of the abundance or behaviour of this fish, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "data deficient".
Microchirus azevia, commonly known as the bastard sole, is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is found on the continental slope of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at depths down to about 250 m (800 ft).
